Barbara Stok

Much of Stok's work is autobiographical; she began drawing comics in the 1990s and self-published Barbaraal, a series of books set in Groningen, often in and around Vera, a center for underground rock music.^[2] She never attended an art or design school, wary that she might lose her personal style.^[2] Her 2003 graphic novel Je geld of je leven ("Your money or your life") deals with her work as a journalist and the burn-out that followed it.^[2] The autobiographical compilation Dan maak je maar zin, deals with the death of the author/main character's brother-in-law and probes the meaning of life. She won the 2009 Stripschapprijs^[3] for her oeuvre. ^[2][4]

Also in 2009, Stok was commissioned by publishing company Nijgh & Van Ditmar and the Van Gogh Museum to write and draw a book on Van Gogh.^[5] Her Vincent is a graphic novel depicting Vincent van Gogh's years in and around Arles; it is translated into a number of languages including English. James Smart, in The Guardian, praised it as "a vibrant, sad account of Van Gogh's move to Arles and his struggle with mental illness".^[6] That same year she was given a weekly slot in the national daily newspaper NRC Handelsblad.^[5]